Fading Memories
by PadfootStripQuidditch
Summary: ONESHOT. Like a rundown muggle home movie that played on a reel against white walls, the memory tinted yellow slightly and faded with bits of grit and cracks in the film, as music and visions filled his ears and eyes with things only he see and hear. SBOC


I know I should be writing on my other story, but I couldn't get this idea outta my head after listening to Underneath it All by No Doubt, while looking at some images for iconing. Well to the basics! I don't own any cannon characters you might read about. I only own Avril Potter(if you don't now who she is ready my other story "To Start with a Memory"). This is only a one chapter story so there won't be any other chapters after that. Thanks!  
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_**Fading Memories**_

Azkaban was a place at best described as hell; a place no one should have to endure, especially if that someone be completely innocent. The Dementors that guard the prison, as fowl as they were could render the inmates incapable of happiness, forcing them to relive their worst memories, as they became gradually helpless and very often severely insane. The Dementors themselves sensing and feeding on the negative emotions and fear.

Sirius Black was no exception to their torture, to the creeping conclusion of lunacy on the horizon and deaths firm grip sometime later. The whole of it all sending him deeper into despair as he lay on the cold damp floor of his cell, the fleeting but small hope that, that day would be the day the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge would come.

Suddenly the small hole the size of a doggy door near the bottom of the heavy leaden door to his cell opened, a moderately large folded, wrap of paper landing on the stone floor with a 'THUD' as it was tossed in. Having requested a copy of the paper from Cornelius Fudge on the latter's inspection tour of the fortress, Sirius crawled hurriedly over to indeed see the _Daily Prophet_ he had asked for. Turning it over to catch sight of the front page news, Sirius' heart jumped up into his throat as an article picture largest on the page danced in front of his eyes, talking about a family's winning trip to Egypt-- and there on the front cover along with the rest of the family as though he were one of them-- Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form, riding upon one of the boys shoulders.

Rage and anger filled his heart and emotion that he had taught himself not to feel cropped up as he continued to read the article. The boy with whom Wormtail sat upon, soon to return to Hogwarts for the school year threw Sirius into more fits of anger and something he hadn't felt in at least a few weeks-- fear. He alone now knew that Peter was very much alive and the deadly danger that his best friend's son was in with the traitor there amongst them.

In his midst of his rage he had stood and had been pacing the room. Pausing mid-step he seemed rather confused to how the working of his legs had started, but nevertheless quickly, shook off the confusion and tossed down the Daily Prophet; the pacing continuing.

"I've gotta get outta here." he mumbled to himself softly, his eyes rolling over to spot the small toilet and sink attached to the wall with a permanent sticking charm. The only exception being that the toilet permanently stuck to the floor and wall was only the base and back of it...

Crossing to the dingy, nearly black toilet something caught Sirius' grey eyes, something that tugged at him to look down to the now strewn newspaper. A large picture no smaller then that of the one on the front cover; a woman with silk black hair that swung past her waist and blue eyes staring back up at him as the picture moved to show her pushing some cameraman out of the way, lips growling cusses that could easily be understood even if not heard, to someone like himself with whom shouted them often.

In large red letters across the top of her picture were the words:

**AVRIL POTTER:****(no relation to Harry Potter)**** AUROR, DARK WIZARD CATCHER, THE FIRST AMONG SEVERAL SELECT FEW AUROR'S, GIVEN THE POWER OF THE UNFORIVIBLE CURSES! **

Snatching up the paper he quickly read through the article, surprisingly a small smile has rose to his lips that stretched his already taunt skin on the frame.

"She's alive."

Sirius' eyes gave off a soft glow of happiness that they once held long ago. " 'No relation...' " he read aloud, giving a larger smile still and softly chuckling, apparently at an inside joke that only he seemed privy to.

Folding the paper in several places, he ripped at the newly created creases, tossing the rest down onto the bird like cage floor of newspaper. It wasn't long before he found himself slid halfway down one of the stone walls, staring at the picture as it continuously moved, repeating seamlessly.

Dirty fingers touched the womans moving face lightly, afraid it might cease to exist if touched too much and his eyes glazed over as he looked into the past, like a run-down muggle home movie that played on a reel against white walls. The memory tinted yellow slightly and faded with bits of grits and cracks in the film as music filled his ears that only he could hear and grey became bright with only things he could see.

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_Music played from the small muggle radio that electricity supplied power to, a slow funky tune from a muggle singer vibrated through the speakers._

"...you're really lovely underneath it all."_the female singers voice rising into a sweet serenade._

"_You changed your hair?" Sirius stated more then asked taking in the long layered waves of blonde hair that fell past the womans waist, framing her face well. The dark eyeliner forcing her blue eyes to stand even more on her pale features then they already did._

_Sirius watched a she drew a heart on to the vanity mirror with a tube of pink lipstick she never liked, but was wearing nevertheless. He pondered telling her she looked awful in it, when she eyed him and laughed loudly like she always did when truly amused. _

"_I know I look awful in it!" she continued to laugh, making more hearts on the mirror._

"I've seen right through and underneath and you make me better..." _the radio bellowed out the words from the singer._

_Walking into the kitchen he set down the bags of things he had got from Diagon Alley, temporarily leaving things unsorted on the counter as he sat down a small, soft blue-colored fur, spherical shape before the young woman, who was wiping off the pink lipstick and replacing it with her normal color._

"_Wha--?" She poked it softly. The blue mass abruptly jumping up and down in apparent happiness._

"_It's a puffskein." Sirius answered her questioning looks before he went back to the kitchen settling potion mixtures among other things into their place._

_He watched as she picked up the puffskein, tossing it into the air as it flipped itself several times in show of its talents before she caught it softly, setting it next to several tall hourglass, short square and portly round shaped perfume bottles of pinks, oranges, greens and clear colors. One bright blue with a soft pink swirling rosebud directly in the center; this was her attempt at becoming more girly for him, as opposed to her more Tomboy attitude and style. The blonde hair, pink lipstick and nail polish also another attempt, along with any light colors she could find compared to her usual dark colors of reds, blacks and blues._

"_Sounds like a bruise." he mumbled, breaking out into laughter. Suddenly catching sight of her, he noticed she had rested her chin in her hands and was watching him through the mirror with a somber expression._

"_What?" Sirius asked, turning to pour himself a cup of butterbeer before coming to take a seat at their table in their London flat._

"_I don't know if I want our kid to turn out like you. Twenty and still pulling pranks on his mates and howling at the moon once month with a friendly werewolf." She retorted breaking a smile as she stood._

_Sirius laughed, pulling out his chair, when what she had said caught on._

"_What?!" Sirius demanded, his cup slamming down causing the table to shake under the wooden tables already wobbly legs. His black hair looking wind swept like he had just got off of his broom; a look that James had attempted many times in his younger years._

_The young woman pretended to ignore him, pushing open the classic French windows along the white wall to hear the busy streets of London below, the grey curtains that matched Sirius' eyes, bellowing in the wind._

"_Does that mean...that..." Sirius stammered, his eyes looking wild as a silence fell between the two and the radio was the only thing to be heard outside of the noise below._

"You are my real Prince Charmin', like the heat from the fire you were always burnin' and each time you're around my body keeps stalin' for your touch your kisses and your sweet romancin'. There's an underside to you that so many adore. Aside from your temper everything else secure. You're good for me, baby, oh that, I'm sure. Over and over again I want more!"

_Sirius broke the silence. "Avril are we...are..."_

_The young woman known as Avril nodded her head and she rolled her eyes as a smile cropped up, forcing her to give a full toothy grin. Sirius swooped down upon her, lifting her off the floor, into his arms, hugging her tightly. _

"_I knew I was potent enough even for your kind!" he yelled._

_Setting her down carefully as she broke into fits of laughter watching him whoop and holler out the windows at the people passing below who either told him to bugger off or congratulated him, got flicked off or waved at. He smiled, reeling around on her in time to see the sunlight breaking across her face in warm yellows and pales as she smiled, laughing quite loudly at his burst of public screaming. It was rare to see her smile like this, but even rarer to hear her laughter and Sirius welcomed it whole heartedly._

"_If it's a boy we can name him Kent or Cole or Hale...how 'bout Ace or..." Sirius had a hold of Avril by then, his arms holding her close as he rattled off boy names testing them with his own surname._

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The memory faded from his vision as did the song on the radio that day long ago as the realization hit him that the child could have been fifteen now, two years older then Harry was currently-- in his fifth year at Hogwarts with Dumbledore to watch over him, to make friends with Harry-- to smile -- to breath in a lung full of sweet air even-- but that would never happen. Sirius felt his slender, skinny body shake as his chest heaved and hot, salty water broke over his skin to mold with the cold damp floor of his cell. The one memory bringing back others he didn't want, the death of his son by the hands of his cousin Bellatrix who had tortured the only three month pregnant Avril on the demands of knowing where the Order of the Phoenix headquarters was, to know the names of the other members; finding it more fun to torture her then to use veritasurem. Sadness swept over him, and he wished he had never seen her picture, had the memory of the events leading up to it or the damn picture itself, upon which he crumpled tossing it. Soon regretting his actions, dirty, long, slender fingers reached out for the paper, careful not to rip it as it was smoothed out of its wrinkles.

A sudden chill flooded in from under the door like a broken geyser rising over Sirius, greys wide in horror, the happiest of memories leaving not even a fleeting warm as he relived his worst memories. Why him? Why was his sadness greater then those in the other cells beside his own beyond concrete stone wall? Why feed on his wishy-washy negative emotions? Why?

"James, Lily...Avril..."

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It was was late at night when Sirius woke up, able to tell from the small peek of light coming from the lit torches somewhere down the corridor in the distance where none of the Dementors were. It always gone dark when they were near. As long as he could see a peek of the light from the torches on the wall he could now get the hell out of this hell hole.

Nearing the toilet, thunder rolled clapped over head of the prison. Sirius smirked, what wonderful swimming conditions!

- - - - - - - - - - - - HOGWARTS- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Harry Potter looked at the front page of the Daily Prophet. A calm, good looking wizard no more then twenty-two at the time the picture had to have been taken, stared back up at him turning to look here and there while he held up a small wooden board that carried several numbers.

Above this in big bold red letters it read:

**SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN!**

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Sorry if any of this confused you. Review and ask me and I'll answer. I believe I got the age right for Sirius, because on Rowlings own website she said that Sirius was only 22 when he was carted off to Azkaban and was very calm when it happened as well. Also if you're wondering who Avril is you've got to read ' To Start with a Memory ' to learn about her and Sirius' relationship/background, etc'.To clear up about the text. The stuff like this _was a memory_ and the text that isn't during the memory is the radio. Okay? Hard to explain. Any question ask! Just don't tell me you got confused!! Ask me! Lol.

Review, review, review and you shall be answered!


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